What happened to the ‘Halloween’ cast?
The night of Trick-or-Treating is upon us, so it’s a perfect time to take a look at what the cast of the hugely influential horror film ‘Halloween’ have been up to.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Some saw it as a canny move on director John Carpenter’s part to cast Jamie Lee Curtis – daughter of the original stalker victim, ‘Psycho’s Janet Leigh – in the lead role. However, that is something of a disservice to Curtis, who proved she could convey a potent blend of vulnerability and inner strength when needed.
She was dubbed the Scream Queen after starring in other horrors including ‘Halloween II', ‘Terror Train’ and ‘Prom Night’. When those horror victim roles dried up, she showcased her comedic talents in ‘Trading Places’ and ‘A Fish Called Wanda’.
Married to comedy great Christopher Guest, other notable films include James Cameron’s action blockbuster ‘True Lies’ and ‘Freaky Friday’, in which she appeared alongside Lindsay Lohan. Curtis reprised the role of ‘Halloween’s Laurie Strode in later years - 1998’s ‘H20’ and 2002’s ‘Halloween Resurrection’. She recently starred in comedy ‘You Again’.
Donald Pleasance
Pleasance had a huge amount of screen and stage time under his belt in 1978, with his two biggies being ‘The Great Escape’ and playing Bond’s bald baddie Blofeld in ‘You Only Live Twice’. However, it’s the role of Dr Sam Loomis, the man obsessed with tracking down crazed killer Michael Myers, that he is most famous for. He played the character in five of the movies in the series.
Sadly, he died in 1995 at the age of 75.
Nick Castle
One of Carpenter’s closest friends, Castle was only too happy to put on a mask and terrorise the film’s victims, with little thought that he was creating one of horror's greatest screen villains.
He was the first actor to play Michael Myers, but wouldn’t be the last, as five more portrayed the killer in subsequent films. However, while it was Castle's one and only appearance as Myers, it was actor Tony Moran whose face we all saw when Laurie rips off the killer’s mask (Moran is very much a regular on the convention circuit nowadays).
Castle’s acting career pretty much ground to a halt there and then, but he went on to direct several films, including the live-action version of the cartoon ‘Dennis’. Castle also co-wrote ‘Escape to New York’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Hook’.
P.J. Soles
P.J. Soles starred in Brian De Palma’s 'Carrie', before going on to be cast as Linda in Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’. With her constant wails of “Totally!”, her screen death was very much welcome – but at least her character was a memorable, if slightly annoying one. She has been an ever-present figure on the small screen – although she did return to the horror genre in cinemas in Rob Zombie’s ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ in 2005. (Zombie, of course, would go on to direct the much-maligned 'Halloween' remake two years later.)
Soles was married to Dennis Quaid from 1978-1983.
Nancy Loomis
Nancy Kyes (Loomis was her stage name) played another of Laurie’s friends/fresh meat for Myers.
She had a cameo in the second film, and appeared as a completely different character in the third one. Before ‘Halloween’, Loomis/Kyes appeared in Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, and went on to reunite with the director on ‘The Fog’. She has now retired from acting and works as a sculptor.
Charles Cyphers
Charles Cyphers played Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the movie, teaming up with Dr Loomis in a bid to track down Myers. He reprised the role for ‘Halloween II’. He had previously worked with Carpenter on ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, and would work with him again on ‘The Fog’ and ‘Escape From New York’.
Cyphers has worked constantly on the small screen, appearing in a number of shows including ‘Sliders’, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Seinfeld’. He has a number of projects in the pipeline, including the horror film ‘Stingy Jack’.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Some saw it as a canny move on director John Carpenter’s part to cast Jamie Lee Curtis – daughter of the original stalker victim, ‘Psycho’s Janet Leigh – in the lead role. However, that is something of a disservice to Curtis, who proved she could convey a potent blend of vulnerability and inner strength when needed.
She was dubbed the Scream Queen after starring in other horrors including ‘Halloween II', ‘Terror Train’ and ‘Prom Night’. When those horror victim roles dried up, she showcased her comedic talents in ‘Trading Places’ and ‘A Fish Called Wanda’.
Married to comedy great Christopher Guest, other notable films include James Cameron’s action blockbuster ‘True Lies’ and ‘Freaky Friday’, in which she appeared alongside Lindsay Lohan. Curtis reprised the role of ‘Halloween’s Laurie Strode in later years - 1998’s ‘H20’ and 2002’s ‘Halloween Resurrection’. She recently starred in comedy ‘You Again’.
Donald Pleasance
Pleasance had a huge amount of screen and stage time under his belt in 1978, with his two biggies being ‘The Great Escape’ and playing Bond’s bald baddie Blofeld in ‘You Only Live Twice’. However, it’s the role of Dr Sam Loomis, the man obsessed with tracking down crazed killer Michael Myers, that he is most famous for. He played the character in five of the movies in the series.
Sadly, he died in 1995 at the age of 75.
Nick Castle
One of Carpenter’s closest friends, Castle was only too happy to put on a mask and terrorise the film’s victims, with little thought that he was creating one of horror's greatest screen villains.
He was the first actor to play Michael Myers, but wouldn’t be the last, as five more portrayed the killer in subsequent films. However, while it was Castle's one and only appearance as Myers, it was actor Tony Moran whose face we all saw when Laurie rips off the killer’s mask (Moran is very much a regular on the convention circuit nowadays).
Castle’s acting career pretty much ground to a halt there and then, but he went on to direct several films, including the live-action version of the cartoon ‘Dennis’. Castle also co-wrote ‘Escape to New York’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Hook’.
P.J. Soles
P.J. Soles starred in Brian De Palma’s 'Carrie', before going on to be cast as Linda in Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’. With her constant wails of “Totally!”, her screen death was very much welcome – but at least her character was a memorable, if slightly annoying one. She has been an ever-present figure on the small screen – although she did return to the horror genre in cinemas in Rob Zombie’s ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ in 2005. (Zombie, of course, would go on to direct the much-maligned 'Halloween' remake two years later.)
Soles was married to Dennis Quaid from 1978-1983.
Nancy Loomis
Nancy Kyes (Loomis was her stage name) played another of Laurie’s friends/fresh meat for Myers.
She had a cameo in the second film, and appeared as a completely different character in the third one. Before ‘Halloween’, Loomis/Kyes appeared in Carpenter’s ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, and went on to reunite with the director on ‘The Fog’. She has now retired from acting and works as a sculptor.
Charles Cyphers
Charles Cyphers played Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the movie, teaming up with Dr Loomis in a bid to track down Myers. He reprised the role for ‘Halloween II’. He had previously worked with Carpenter on ‘Assault on Precinct 13’, and would work with him again on ‘The Fog’ and ‘Escape From New York’.
Cyphers has worked constantly on the small screen, appearing in a number of shows including ‘Sliders’, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Seinfeld’. He has a number of projects in the pipeline, including the horror film ‘Stingy Jack’.
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